The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-11-25
NJ. NERcrEls pEsIev.

the present statue is made Only three
Aa.trican sculptors were selected. and these
wer, Augustus st GaudenS about whom
thee E. a long article in the November num-
her OF The Century Magazine, D. G. French
and larkin c. Mead, who made the monu-
nant which now forms Abraham Lincoln's
tomb al Springfield, His, and who executed
OIL colossal statue Of Vermont now placed
over tx dome Of tho state house at Mont
rcil.r FMcad's first efforts at sculpture were
iu snow lie modelled "a colossal figure of an
angel. which was so greatly admired that the
stoi, of II got into the newspapers and there
met the eye Of the eccentric millionaire,
Nieholas Longworth, Of Cincinnati Long
worth wrote 20 Mead and offered 20 give
LIN an ari education Mead accepted the
offer, and through LougwOrth got the money
which helped him on TO fame
In addition 10 these Americans two French
sculptors were selected, and one Of these was
Baltholdi, the maker of the statue Of Liberty
in New York harbor The commission sent
a letter to the French minister Of foreign al
fairs asking him TO name another sculptor 10
compete for the work, but he declined 20 do
SO. a list Of eligible French artists was then
two, namely. Mcrcie and Falguiere were
chosen. A third man was also selected, but
both he and ST. Gaudens refused 10 send in
designs for the statue They evidently con-
sidered themselves Of enough note 70 get or
ders without competing for them, and the de
signs which were made come from the other
artists
These models are now kept i'm a large room
Just off OF that Of the secretary Of war.
They are on long mahogany table and their
faces look out toward the Corcoran art gal
lery The walls of the room are hung with
oil portraits of the various secretaries Of war
Of the past and the whole forms a sort Of an
art gallery
The models on the largest scale are those
Of VI Bartholdi, and they are most complete
in their execution. One of them was ruled
cut on account Of its costing more than the
appropriation, Bartholdi putting the price ut
$1,000. and the plainness of the other did
not suit tho commission 50 well as the one
selected These Bartholdi designs are about
four feet high. and the only difference lies in
the pcdcstals Gen Lafayette is represented
dressed in Continental uniform, holding q
hat in one hand and grasping the flags Of
L
ewes are turned toward heaven, and Bar
tholdi evidently intended 70 symbolic La
fayette giving himself up to the cause of
liberty The pedestal Of the more expensive
statue had elaborate designs in bas relief
upon its sides, depicting the most noted
battles in which Lafayette figured in our
war for independence On each corner Of
the pedestal below the feet OF the statue
stands an American eagle grasping globe
In it, talou7. and between these on the front
Of the pedestal are these words: ITO our
French allies" The pedestal Of the other
statue Is NOR, simple, and lbs chief difference
FROM the other is in the absence Of decora-
ton on the sides of the pedestal and in leav-
ing ont the eagles above spoken Of.
Tic ~atuo next to these IS that Of Larkin
G.. Nod. and it is to my mind almost equal
70 81. ,ne chosen. II represents Lafayette
stanling az ease with one hand upon his
sword aud the other holding his hat which he
has cru Aci up. At the corner Of the pedes-
tai are Il rurcs Of noted French officers, and
those in front are labeled Counts de Grasse
and de Rochambcau. At the foot of the
pedestal il this inscription, being quotation
of thu famous utterance Of Lafayette when
he offered himself TO the American army;